Don’t blame ocean carriers and bigger container ships for congestion at key ports; blame insufficient investment in equipment, dredging and automation at U.S. marine terminals, speakers said at the 15th annual TPM Conference in Long Beach.

The global air cargo market got off to a sluggish start in 2015, with traffic up 3.2 percent year-over-year in January as lower volumes on European and North and South American routes offset strong growth in the Asia-Pacific region.

The container logjam at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles will be cleared within three months, the top officials of both ports said today at the 15th annual TPM Conference in Long Beach. But that’s only the beginning of the herculean rebuilding task the Southern California ports face.

With the air cargo industry under increasing competition from ocean carriers for certain cargoes, especially perishables, more sophisticated software and technology tools are helping drive the migration from ocean to air.

DB Schenker, the logistics unit of German railroad Deutsche Bahn, has reached agreement with three airlines involved in a global price-fixing cartel but is still seeking damages from three other carriers.

U.S. containerized imports in 2015 will increase a paltry 1.7 percent, dragged down by West Coast port congestion, JOC Economist Mario Moreno told the 15th annual TPM Conference in Long Beach on Monday.

Matthew Shay, president of the National Retail Federation, on Monday called on Congress and the Obama administration to change how unionized port labor and waterfront employers negotiate agreements so “the interest of thousands” can no longer threaten the livelihood of millions

Global economic growth will accelerate next year driven by lower energy prices, a resurgent U.S. consumer as a global driver of growth, and stimulus measures being imposed by multiple central banks, IHS Chief Economist Nariman Behravesh told the 2015 TPM conference in Long Beach on Monday.

Spot rates on the Asia to the Middle East and South Asia are being undermined as carriers on the trades struggle to maintain load factors to support freight rate increases, according to Drewry Container Insight.